Upgrade First, Stamp Your Fingerprint

Outside the courtyard gate, there was a moment of silence.

"Need to sign too?"

Niu Dali was the first to speak.

"Of course."

Xu Zhou moved over a stool and sat behind the table.

"Who knows whether you'll blame me if the upgrade fails later? Let's make this clear first. I'm only responsible for trying; I can't guarantee it'll work."

"Does it cost money?"

"No."

"It can be real if it's free?"

Someone outside immediately grew suspicious.

Xu Zhou's eyelid twitched.

If he charged, they said he was a swindler.

If he did not charge, they said he was unreliable.

The people of Holy Soul Village were really hard to please.

"No money. First come, first served. Those willing can sign; those unwilling can go home."

The moment Xu Zhou finished speaking, someone started pounding on the courtyard gate.

"I'm willing!"

"Let me go first! I've been stuck at level nine for eleven years!"

"What's eleven years? I've been stuck at level twenty-nine!"

"Bullshit! Other than Yu Xiaogang, who in our village has reached level twenty-nine?"

"I meant my age!"

Xu Yan braced himself against the courtyard gate, his face nearly turning red from the strain.

For the sake of upgrading, these people had abandoned all shame.

Just now, someone had claimed to be Xu Zhou's third granduncle. Now someone at level twenty-nine had appeared.

Give it a little longer, and even a peerless level ninety-nine Titled Douluo would probably squeeze in.

Old Jack spent a long while rapping his cane outside before he barely managed to get everyone lined up.

"One at a time!"

"Anyone who cuts the line will be disqualified immediately!"

"Also, each sheet of paper for signing costs one copper soul coin, and ink costs extra!"

Xu Zhou abruptly looked up.

"Why are you charging for signatures?"

"Is paper free?"

Old Jack answered through the gate with perfect confidence.

"Besides, I have to maintain order. What's wrong with charging a little for my hard work?"

"Then I get half."

"Thirty percent at most."

"Fifty."

"Forty percent. No higher."

"Deal."

The two settled it in three sentences.

Tang San stood beside them, listening in a daze.

He suddenly felt it was a pity Xu Zhou was not doing business.

They had not even figured out Martial Souls yet, but he had already devised a paid service.

The courtyard gate opened.

Niu Dali charged in first, set his hoe against the wall, grabbed a pen, and wrote his name on the paper.

His handwriting was terrible.

The character for Niu was missing a stroke, while the character for Dali had an extra dot.

Xu Zhou stared at it for a long time.

"Did you write 'Niu Daban'?"

"As long as the meaning gets across."

Niu Dali pressed down his fingerprint, then leaned closer with shining eyes.

"What do I do next?"

Xu Zhou did not know either.

Yu Xiaogang's rise to level thirty-three had been evidence temporarily fabricated by the Black Ancient Book to correct mistaken beliefs.

Niu Dali was not an important character.

His hoe had not even gotten a single scene in the original work. The Black Ancient Book could not possibly create a Soul Ring just for him, could it?

"Release your Martial Soul first."

Xu Zhou said it casually.

Niu Dali immediately summoned his hoe.

"Then what?"

"Close your eyes."

"Do I need to chant a spell?"

"No."

"I think I should chant one."

Niu Dali thought seriously for a moment.

"How about I shout, 'Clear Sky Hoe, awaken'?"

"Shout if you want."

Xu Zhou placed the Black Ancient Book on the table and had him press his hand on it.

Niu Dali took a deep breath.

"Clear Sky Hoe, awaken for me!"

Nothing changed in the courtyard.

The hoe was still the same hoe.

His Innate Soul Power was still level one.

Unwilling to accept it, Niu Dali shouted twice more.

Each shout was louder than the last.

In the end, even the chickens next door started crowing, yet his Soul Power remained unmoved.

"Was my posture wrong?"

Niu Dali released his hand.

"How did Grandmaster Yu touch it back then?"

"I don't know."

Xu Zhou shook his head.

"Maybe it depends on the person."

That was somewhat hurtful.

Niu Dali lowered his head and looked at his hoe, completely deflated.

"So my talent is worse than Yu Xiaogang's?"

"Why are you comparing yourself to me?"

Yu Xiaogang's face darkened.

He was a theoretical master now, after all, and Luo Sanpao had even completed its first evolution.

Why did Niu Dali, with a level-one hoe Martial Soul, think he should not be worse than him?

"Grandmaster, don't misunderstand."

Niu Dali hurriedly explained.

"I just thought we were both supporting characters, so our starting points should be about the same."

Yu Xiaogang no longer wanted to speak.

Could a named supporting character in the original work be the same as a villager without even a name?

"Next!"

Old Jack shouted from outside.

Niu Dali could only pick up his hoe and leave the courtyard, looking back every few steps.

The second person to enter was Zhao Tiezhu, the village butcher.

He was burly and rough-looking, but his Martial Soul was a palm-sized boning knife. His Innate Soul Power was level two, and he had cultivated to level nine.

"I'm not greedy."

After pressing his fingerprint, Zhao Tiezhu placed his hand on the Black Ancient Book.

"As long as you get me to level ten, the Wang Family will get twenty percent off meat from now on."

Xu Yan, standing nearby, was tempted.

"How about forty percent off?"

"In your dreams."

"Then don't upgrade."

"Thirty percent off."

"Deal."

Xu Zhou was speechless.

They had not even begun, and the two had already negotiated the price after the upgrade.

"Ready?"

"Ready."

Zhao Tiezhu closed his eyes.

One breath.

Two breaths.

The Black Ancient Book did not react.

Just as everyone thought it would fail again, a wave of Soul Power suddenly surged from Zhao Tiezhu's body.

His entire body jolted, and he abruptly opened his eyes.

"Level ten!"

"I broke through!"

The courtyard instantly fell silent.

Yu Xiaogang's expression changed. He hurried to Zhao Tiezhu, grabbed his wrist, and checked his Soul Power.

After a moment, he slowly let go.

"It is indeed level ten."

Xu Zhou was stunned as well.

He had not done anything!

The Black Ancient Book was silent. It had not helped Zhao Tiezhu at all.

How had this guy broken through?

"I knew it!"

Zhao Tiezhu's face flushed red with excitement.

"I've been stuck at level nine for five years. All I needed was this push!"

"Five years?"

Yu Xiaogang frowned.

"You were already close to breaking through. Your emotions were stirred just now, and your Soul Power broke through the bottleneck on its own. This has nothing to do with Xu Zhou."

"How does it have nothing to do with him?"

Zhao Tiezhu immediately retorted.

"I used to get excited when slaughtering pigs too. Why didn't I break through then?"

Yu Xiaogang did not know how to answer for a moment.

But the people outside the courtyard had already erupted.

"He really upgraded!"

"If Zhao Tiezhu can upgrade, why can't I?"

"Don't push! I'm third in line!"

"Old Jack, get me three more sheets! I'll sign for my wife and two sons too!"

"Your son is only three months old!"

"So what if he's three months old? Upgrading should start from childhood!"

The line that had barely been maintained instantly descended into chaos.

Xu Yan hurriedly braced the courtyard gate, afraid the people outside would rush in.

Xu Zhou lowered his head and looked at the Black Ancient Book.

Countless points of light were pouring in from outside the courtyard.

[The Public Script is taking shape.]

[Script Content: Xu Zhou could help others increase their Soul Power.]

[Current Number of Believers: 127.]

[Script Level: White.]

[Completion Condition: Have the believers personally confirm that this ability does not exist.]

[Success Reward: One Script Projection use.]

[Failure Penalty: Randomly transfer one level of the host's Soul Power.]

Xu Zhou stared at the page, his heart tightening slightly.

The people outside had already decided that he could help others level up.

Even if he went out and explained that Zhao Tiezhu had only broken through by coincidence, no one would believe him.

Unless everyone tried it for themselves.

The problem was that at least a hundred people were blocking the courtyard entrance.

How long would that take?

Just then, the previously noisy crowd suddenly fell silent.

A tall figure walked into the courtyard from outside.

The man was unshaven, reeked of alcohol, and carried an empty wine jar in his hand.

Tang Hao.

He glanced at Zhao Tiezhu, who had just broken through, then looked at Xu Zhou behind the table.

"I heard that one touch is enough to level up?"

Xu Zhou's eyelid twitched.

"Uncle Hao, you believe that too?"

"I didn't at first."

Tang Hao set the wine jar on the table and held out his right hand.

"But I've been stuck at level ninety-five for quite a while."

"Since I'm already here."

"Give it a touch."